The Mary Erskine School

The Mary Erskine School, initiated in 1694 by the eponymous founder and the Merchant Company of the City of Edinburgh, was the first girls’ school established in the United Kingdom and, today, boasts 740 girls as part of the larger Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools. Mary Erskine was a successful chemist and property magnate in an era in which men dominated in business, but her tenacity of purpose enabled her to succeed in a tough world. Her vision, to establish a school in which girls would be allowed to flourish and prosper in readiness for the great challenges ahead of them as adults, is seen today in a thriving school in which girls of all backgrounds are encouraged to practise their talents, of whatever kind, and to learn in a spirit of collaboration to appreciate the gifts of others as much as their own. The school has a real cutting edge in Scottish education and the girls’ academic achievements are as well known as their strengths in sport, music, debating, and the performing arts. The school motto “mitis et fortis”, gentle but strong, is indicative of the education of all round personal development which is at the heart of the school today.